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The molting continues as evidenced by the feathers everywhere! Sometimes the hens will eat the little ones to help them build all the ones they need to replace but most fill the corners of every hut and run and they get stuck in tufts of grass. It's just feathers floatin on the breeze around here! As soon as they are done and have a full body of fancy new feathers, the laying starts up again, but it takes a few months to get all those feathers fluffed out! There are more dried bouquets for this week, but the supplies are running low so you'll wanna get one while you can! And there will be more fall themed wreaths to deck your halls for the season! There's just two more weeks at Libby, followed by the Fall Bounty Market in Troy on the 16th before the Pop Up / Drop Off begins so you can get the eggs and micros that you need all winter long!  The seed saving continues with the last Poppy pods brought in and more Bachelor Buttons, Pansies, Bee's Friend, and more brought in, ready and waiting for me to separate the seeds from the chaff! At least poppies are super easy, no winnowing required!  Diggin Ranunculus tubers can be a tedious business, luckily Hella was on hand to help! Besides, it's gotta get done since they won't survive in the soil through winter and need to be dried and brought inside!  The dried bouquets return this week! But they are dwindling, so get yours quick!  I finally got out to hike a path that isn't lined with crops or chickens! It was nice to see moss, lichens, and a lot of my favorite woodland plants!  The fur and the feathers fly when they get to have some good-natured game of Tag!  Be careful giving your hens 'table scraps' as they will hunt you down forever for more!  Sometimes it's fun to lay in the sun and wait for tummy rubs! What's available this week?
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Fall officially arrives and it brings more seed saving, bed prep for fall plantings of garlic, tulips, daffodils, and peonies, and cold mornings filled with valley mist. This Friday is the last regular season market in Troy and there won't be any apple pressing but there will be great local products and produce from all your fav vendors and new ones to discover! There is so much to see it starts an hour early at 2pm and goes until the normal 630pm. So even if you can't make apple juice you can probably still find some apples! There are also only three more Libby markets left, so be sure to get your winter squash, extra veg, and other stuff now! But don't fear about missing out on eggs and micros since I keep those coming all year long! Friday, October 16th will be the first pop up/drop off of eggs, micros, and any dried flowers or crafts you may want. You can still order online for pickup or stop by during my drop off time to play your luck at getting just what you want!  The Flower Crowns (featuring braided willow and dried Helipterum) are shown delightfully, if a little confusedly, by an extremely cute model. And a bounty of dried Statice, Strawflower, Poppy Pods, Bunny Tail Grass, Chinese Lanterns, and more, means the arrival of the first dried bouquets. If kept out of direct sun, they won't fade, wilt, or need any water. Just place in any dry vase, glass, or container that you like and enjoy! There will be mixed color options and more tonal ones available! No promises that they won't become filled with dust or spider webs over time, but you can think of it as another manner of bringing the outside in and providing a tiny indoor habitat to our household friends! :D  The Woolly Bears are back at it, looking for a little snack before getting literally frozen solid all winter only to thaw in spring! Whew, talk about quarantining and self-isolation!  Big Sky also means Big Clouds over Big Mountains and Big Meadows!  Last week you may have seen the first Dragon's Balm! Now for it's official introduction... Growing up I would help my Dad (an Acupuncturist and Herbalist) collect herbs around our house and in the woods and soak them in oils. Then he would blend those infused oils with beeswax, and voila!, we had the 'ointment'. We never called it anything else but it was always around. Got a bee sting. Ointment. Burn. Ointment. Bruise. Ointment. Scrape or cut. You get the drift. Since I've been growing and wildcrafting the herbs that we use to infuse the oil with, I thought I should share it with you all, and the ointment got a little re-branding and a new life as Dragon's Balm!  Still the same great stuff I've used since I was a little whipper snapper climbing trees and scraping knees and I still use it even it it's more scrapes from hauling firewood and bruises from wrangling tractors. It is now available for pickup on the website along with the eggs, veg, and flowers but in a few weeks it will be available to ship straight to your door! Hella found an odd and very skinny and very squirmy creature to 'play' with. Luckily for the worm, she got bored quick. Unluckily, the hens came by soon after. Kinda an 'out of the frying pan...' situation!  The Pansies have kept going despite the previous heat and the more recent cold snap and have recovered enough for a little harvest of edible flowers this week! What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday from 3-7pm! I'll be at the Troy Farmers Market, this Friday from 200-630pm! Chores are a daily and never-ending endeavor on a farm. They just shift either the task or the time of day it is completed as the seasons shift. I may not know what day it is at any point, but I always know the imminent weather, daylight hours, and usually where the moon is and what it's up to. This season is all about stocking up for winter, whether that means straw, feed, or supplies but also stocking up on ideas and tasks that can be completed when the soil is not accessible and are either done inside or aren't inhibited by freezing weather. The only problem is it's a little too easy to say 'oh, I'll do that in winter'. But for now, the more immediate tasks get done, more wreaths get made, the flower crowns are prototyped, and the leaves begin to yellow!  The firewood piles are full and overflowing, so it is time to stack them into the shed and the hens feel the need to supervise while they get a little dust bathing in!  The big project of the week for my farm laborers was the raking, lifting, and piling the straw I mowed and scythed this summer up into the hayloft to stay dry until it gets the joyful use as chicken and duck bedding during the winter!  The resident doe and her young have regular standoffs with the marauding hens about their attempts at (and sometimes successful) stealing of the veggie scraps! Adding a doe-proof veggie scrap holder for hens to my to do list! More dried flower and weaving work got done inside while trying to limit breathing in the smoke. Luckily, it has begun thinning so the outside work doesn't get too far behind!  Farm supplies arrive regularly and the important task of checking the arrivals and overseeing quality control falls to the last of the Golden Girls and original hens, Iris. Using the box as an impromptu perch must mean she approves!  Hella is on the prowl for all those mice and gophers hiding around the barn! What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday from 3-7pm! I'll be at the Troy Farmers Market, this Friday from 330-630pm! They* say, 'be careful what you wish for'. (* they being my mom) Whelp, last week I was wishing I could be done harvesting so I could have more time to catch up on making wreaths, flower barrettes, prepping seed packets, and working on the newly designed flower crowns and all the weather goddesses granted that wish. The frost was heavy and long-lasting so only the bravest few flowers survived, like the carnations and pansies. So this may be the last week to get those mixed market bouquets of fresh flowers and salad mix! But it does mean that all those dried flowers and saved seeds can finally get the attention they deserve! Plus, I can get a jump on prepping beds for next year and have a bit more time to get those high tunnels up that have been waiting around all summer! When some things (like a slightly early deep freeze) are out of your hands, you do what you can to prepare and find the silver, frosty lining!  First a derpy cat face to help put a smile on your face!   The good news is the Dragon Dome and heater kept everything cozy inside! The tomatoes and basil are still going, if a little slower, and the microgreens go on!  Being a former geologist who focused on permafrost and glaciers, I have a peculiar love and appreciation for frost and ice crystals in any form at any time! The sunflowers are done and dusted. right: before full defrost. Left: the crispy freeze dried remains.  The nightly draining of hoses is a regular chore, but this frost required a little extra drainage and prep but all hoses survived! Even this one complete with ice flow!  I'm a survivor! The cold (but not too cold) room holds the remaining fresh flowers of the season from this last weeks harvests and a hurried one the night before the forst came.  What's available this week?
Where to find it all?
I'll be at the Farmers Market at Libby, this Thursday from 3-7pm! I'll be at the Troy Farmers Market, this Friday from 330-630pm! The march of the seasons continues on as the little sparrows and hummingbirds begin to migrate south and the plants hurry to set seed. My migrant farm laborers, aka my parents, have arrived to finish up some summer projects and escape the smoke-filled air of California and their arrival meant their new travel trailer was delivered! It won't be traveling anymore as we don't have a big enough vehicle to pull it, but it was always meant to be their home away from home that is much nicer than a small space in my attic. Now my early wake up calls in summer won't inhibit their beauty sleep and my space will be once again all mine! Lastly, I was pleasantly surprised last week to find that the ground squirrel didn't eat as many of the golden beets as I thought, so there should be a few bunches for market. They aren't available online yet as I was too slow getting them all uploaded and squared away.  The view from the new trailer means my migrant laborer parents can watch me work while they eat breakfast, they can keep their living space the temperature they like, and I can leave my cabin as messy as I please! A win-win!  The second hatching of barn swallows is almost ready to fly free!  The fall colors continue in the bouquets! Fall also means the season of dried flower wreaths has begun! Expect to see new ones each week!   The squash shows the signs of the frosts that have begun and burn the leaves that touch the protective frost fabric, sacrificing themselves to save the rest of the plant!  The first Farm Tour & Field Dinner was amazing! So many thanks to all the wonderful guests and Mandy from the Gracious Table for such yummy food! If you missed this time, don't despair as there will be more opportunities next summer. |
AuthorI'm Farmer Megan with a life full of cackles, clucks, quacks, weeds, crazy kitten, and one tiny, senior, blind dog. Archives
December 2020
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